Inaugural OER Learning Day

Date
Monday, 19 September 2016

OER Learning Day is an in-house research sharing event organised by the Office of Education Research (OER), National Institute of Education (NIE). It is aimed at promoting and showcasing education research across various themes and research centres. The event comprised poster exhibits, hands-on demonstration of research artefacts and experimental set-ups, and a Gallery Walk/Learning Trail for participants.

Held on 22 August 2016, the event drew a good turnout of researchers, administrative staff and students from the NIE community. A group of representatives from the Ministry of Education (MOE) was also present at the event. Among them was Dr Teh Laik Woon, Director of the Corporate Research Office at MOE.

Research posters and exhibits on display at OER Learning Day.

The Gallery Walk/Learning Trail was a hit among the participants, with many seen navigating through the poster presentations, finding correct answers to the trivia questions for the Learning Trail quiz. Besides understanding the work of other researchers better, the activity also made the whole learning process fun and enjoyable.

“I found the Learning Day quite engaging and interactive,” commented Ms Sabina Au Yong, Research Assistant at OER. “There are a lot of posters for us to look at to know more about other research projects.”

“It’s a fabulous opportunity for everyone to come together and have a look at what we are all doing,” he said. “Often times we are so engaged in our own work we don’t really have the opportunity to meet each other. I hope that this will allow us to get to know each other’s work and to open up opportunities for collaboration.”

A “Best Poster Award” was also awarded with the following judging criteria: attractiveness of poster, clarity of presentation and innovativeness of project. The winner was Dr Jennifer Tan, Assistant Dean (Knowledge Mobilization) at OER, for her research poster on “WiREAD: Enhancing students’ 21st century skills in English Literacy through a web-based collaborative reading and learning analytics environment”.

Dr Jennifer Tan (3rd from the right) and her research team.

Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Mr Teo Chee Hean called on NIE on the same day, which gave him the opportunity to interact with NIE researchers.

DPM Teo interacting with NIE researchers and addressing them at the end of his visit.

DPM Teo documented the visit on his official Facebook page, saying, “This Centre (CRPP) which was started 12 years ago researches, develops and implements new and innovative ways of teaching and learning. This is crucial so that our children are equipped with skills and knowledge to meet the challenges ahead.”

OER Learning Day was a success and served as a new platform for NIE community of researchers and staff to interact and share their research findings and perspectives. With the aim of building up NIE’s research capacity and culture, OER is committed to continue doing so with more of such learning endeavours.